Manab pal and his wife Shubha make a typical high-flying, peripatetic power couple. Like so many others of their tribe, they've been there and done that all over the world. On a trip to Vienna, the Pals were inspired by a performance of Johann Strauss' The Blue Danube Waltz to actually visit and cruise down the river that flows through some of the most picturesque real estate in Germany-ruined castles, medieval monasteries, and terraced vineyards-on its way to the Black Sea. They were disappointed. Despite the picture postcard memories, the truth was that the Danube was (and is) but a small river. "I thought then... if they can do this with Danube, then imagine the potential of the Ganga?" says Pal.

Now, he is close to addressing the angst he had to stifle in a distant land many decades ago. Manor Floatel-Pal, his wife and two British partners, Richard Bright and Roger Leopard, hold a majority stake in the venture-is close to launching the country's first floating hotel on River Hooghly off Kolkata's riverfront. Sweating profusely and sipping copious quantities of Mirinda Orange to beat the May afternoon heat, he points proudly to the four-storied structure that his men are winching into position. "She will catapult Kolkata into a select club of 10-12 cities in the world that have floatels," he says. "And she'll be the only hotel in the central business district." The Orchid Group has the management contract to run the hotel. "She is not a ship," Pal clarifies. "There are no engines and the draught is just six feet."

An ornate reception area resembling a ship and a Raj era replica parking lot leads onto the gangway that leads to the floatel. "The banquet hall, the main kitchen and an open-air vegetarian restaurant will be located on shore," says Pal. Three other restaurants-a 24-hour coffee shop, a specialty Anglo-Indian restaurant, and a part-open air, part-air-conditioned seafood restaurant-will be located on board the vessel. An open-air discotheque on the top deck is also on the cards.

"We plan to start a yacht club here where patrons can hire small vessels and indulge in water sports," says Pal, "and talks are on with Bombay Yacht Club for a tie-up." Trained lifeguards will keep a hawk eye on the river to prevent accidents.

The four-star floatel, which cost Rs 31 crore, has 72 rooms and three suites. "All the furniture is imported," says Pal, who offers a word of reassurance to Indians still uneasy about spending a night on water. "The vessel has been manoeuvred into position using GPS technology and we've sunk our anchors 100 feet into the riverbed to ensure that the hotel doesn't move or sway even an inch regardless of the tide."

A soft launch is planned around Diwali. And Pal is hoping that his riverfront baby is the first of a long list of tourism-related projects that will come up on the Hooghly. "I hope the government and the bureaucracy wake up to the potential of the river. We have among the world's best riverfronts. All it needs is a little bit of imagination and initiative. I'm hoping that she (he points to the floating superstructure) shows the way."

When that happens, the anguish he still sometimes feels when he recalls his cruise down the Danube many years ago will be fully addressed.

-Arnab Mitra